Researching Short Sunderlands

RNZAF Sunderlands

Hi
Is there anyone out there who can assist me with some research on the aircraft, especially a production list and/or casualty list
Many thanks

Theres a site: www.kiwiaircraftimages.com which lists the
Sunderlands operated by the RNZAF plus the Sandringhams
and Solents operated post WW2 if you are interested.
Fates are also listed.
Theres a farmer on the Chatham Is. down here who used one
as a barn on his farm.

Regards,
Simon Beck

Help Wanted

I work for Pembrokeshire County Council and I am supporting a group that has identified the wreck of a Mk1, yes Mk1 Sunderland that sank at her moorings.
She is 80% intact and the aim is to recover and restore her. The project officer is a renowned expert on Sunderlands. His details are:
Mr John Evans
The Sunderland Trust
Sunderland House
Admiralty Way
The Royal Dockyard
Pembroke Dock
pembrokeshire
SA72 6TP
Tel: 01646 680144
If anyone can help he can.

240 Gardner;
If either of these two photos hold any interest for you, I shall be happy to email higher resolution versions to you. In the 1943 image, you can actually see (and probably recognize/identify) most of the faces of the individuals.
The upper photo is 95 at Bathurst in 9/43 under W/Cdr Hatfield.
The lower photo is 95 at Bathurst w/ Sunderland III in 1944. This photo is possibly from W/Cdr S. G. Baggott? Simply use the email address available from my website, as listed in my signature, below. As I do not wish to clog up anyone’s email system, just confirm that it would be okay to send two digital images of 390-420 kb size, if/when you send me your email address.

Thank you very much! I shall send you an e-mail separately. My father didn’t get to Bathurst until early in 1944, but his logbook is signed off by S/Ldr S G Baggott, CO of 95 Squadron.

Bathurst

240 Gardner;
If either of these two photos hold any interest for you, I shall be happy to email higher resolution versions to you. In the 1943 image, you can actually see (and probably recognize/identify) most of the faces of the individuals.
The upper photo is 95 at Bathurst in 9/43 under W/Cdr Hatfield.
The lower photo is 95 at Bathurst w/ Sunderland III in 1944. This photo is possibly from W/Cdr S. G. Baggott? Simply use the email address available from my website, as listed in my signature, below. As I do not wish to clog up anyone’s email system, just confirm that it would be okay to send two digital images of 390-420 kb size, if/when you send me your email address.

Many thanks to you all for this excellent response.

Is it likely that at any time either during or after the war an aircraft may well have been scuttled for any particular reason. ie heavily damaged in raids or perhaps after the war too complex/expensive to repair?

I recall my father telling me that older aircraft, other than Mk.5s with the P&W engines, were scuttled almost as a matter of course in West Africa.

He was posted home from Bathurst on 6 June 1945 and came home without the Mk 3 Sunderland (W6076, 95/D) that had served him well for over a year. I think I recall him telling me that it was scuttled before he left – his last flight in it was on 19 May was “A/S Patrol ‘Optimist 1’ “, a 9 hour flight. In the next entry in his logbook 6 days later, W6076 is written on, then crossed out and replaced by ML847.

And if anyone has a photo of W6076, I’d love to see it! I have photos of ’75 and ’77, but ’76 seems to have been camera shy.

Actually ISBN-10: 1861263554

Ooops. 😀 😀 😀

Many thanks to you all for this excellent response.

Is it likely that at any time either during or after the war an aircraft may well have been scuttled for any particular reason. ie heavily damaged in raids or perhaps after the war too complex/expensive to repair?

Quite a few were scuttled at the end of the ward. There were a few movement cards with the words “Scuttled” written on them floating around.

Mark

Many thanks to you all for this excellent response.

Is it likely that at any time either during or after the war an aircraft may well have been scuttled for any particular reason. ie heavily damaged in raids or perhaps after the war too complex/expensive to repair?

Yes – Sunderlands have been scuttled, usually by one of the MUs. But you have to remember a number of factors: Spares recovery is always possible from a damaged aircraft and, of course, during the war materials were in short supply so there was extensive recycling. I am also aware of aircraft sunk in accidents which were recovered soon afterwards for recovery of casualties and accident investigation.

The ideal time for aircraft to be deliberately scuttled would be immediately post war with the glut of surplus aircraft swamping the scrapyards. But then you have to prove there were surplus aircraft in Malta and they weren’t used to ferry crew and equipment on a final trip home or simply scrapped on shore

There is a lot of good information coming through already – keep digging 🙂

Med Sunderlands

You can find out quite a lot about Sunderlands of 230 Sqn in the Mediterranean by getting the book ‘Hunt Like A Tiger’ published by Woodfield Publishing.

Yours
Tom

I have a book by the Crowood Press that lists every Sunderland that was built and what happened to it.

ISBN 1-86124-355-4

It’s a nice book with lots of information in it. Is there anything specific that you’re looking for?

Mark

Actually ISBN-10: 1861263554

Researching Sunderlands

Many thanks to you all for this excellent response.

Is it likely that at any time either during or after the war an aircraft may well have been scuttled for any particular reason. ie heavily damaged in raids or perhaps after the war too complex/expensive to repair?

Here is L5807 at Kalafrana.

Could try these for a start

L2164
Damaged in a straffing attack by Me109s of 7/JG26 and set on fire at moorings on the 7th of March. Sgt Jones was returning fire with the Vickers gun at the midships position when he was killed. The aircraft was again attacked on the 10th of March and sank under tow during salvage operations after a further attack by Me109s.

L5807
Took off to escort Operation Dunlop reinforcements to Malta. On mooring up in the Camber at 10:00 hrs after landing the Sunderland was attacked and set on fire by Me109s of JG26. Attempts were made to tow the Sunderland to safety but it sank just outside the entrance when the starboard wing fell off.

N9049
Damaged by Oblt J Muncheberg of 7/JG26 and set on fire in Marsaxlokk Bay, Malta. The Sunderland later sank at it’s mooring.

W3996
Hit by bomb from Ju88 while on slipway.

Not in ORB.

T9046
Damaged at moorings by Me109s on 21/02/42 and sank in a storm.

SZ570
Broke away from moorings and wrecked.

Regards
Ross

Kalafrana

The image of the burning Sunderland I, L2164, was on 10/3/41, at Kalafrana. I’ll look through the others. It is the image at the bottom Left (unfortunately turned sideways for the scanning). I see there are a series of these images, this and different Sunderlands, marked Malta or Kalafrana. Sinking, broken wings etc. I did not know your Kalafrana interest when I scanned these…
The one at top Right is in St Paul’s bay (Malta?)after attack by Bf-109s. L2164 was 228 Sqn, I think, 10/3/41.

Sunderland Research

Thank you all for your kind offers of help!

I have been reading various books on Malta, and the fact there was a seaplane base at Kalafrana, given the fact that it was a significant and strategic base during the War, I wondered if there were was any information as to known aircarft in the water around the island.

If so what was the reason, were they mined, lost for other reasons or perhaps scuttled after hostilities ceased.

Any information much appreciated

I have 17 different photos of Sunderlands that have crashed, been shot down, set afire, half sunk, or otherwise wrecked. Most have numbers and details on back.Not sure what you need, or are trying to assemble.. PM me.

I’d be delighted to help as well – that’s three of us. 🙂 What specifically do you need to know about?

If it is losses then there was a privately published book out quite a number of years ago which lists all Sunderland losses – saves going to look at the accident cards at the RAF Museum. I have a copy which IIRC lists incidents by dates so let me know the dates and, if possible, aircraft involved.

The Crowood book (by Ken Delve) is good as is an earlier one by Chaz Bowyer which has even more detail.

Hi

Is there anyone out there who can assist me with some research on the aircraft, especially a production list and/or casualty list

Many thanks

I have a book by the Crowood Press that lists every Sunderland that was built and what happened to it.

ISBN 1-86124-355-4

It’s a nice book with lots of information in it. Is there anything specific that you’re looking for?

Mark

May be able to help.

What do you need to know?

Jim